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Dan O'Neill: Why respect beliefs most of us consider are loony? - WalesOnline
8 September 2010, 4:17 am

LET us today consider the word “stupid”.

Defined by my big fat dictionary as “showing lack of reason or judgement”.

This was the word used, light-heartedly, by Adamsdown councillor John Dixon to describe the Church of Scientology.

Which is why he will face the council’s Standards and Ethics Committee this month because the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales, Peter Tyndall, received a complaint from a scientologist accusing Dixon of “bigotry”.

Instead of bunging it into the bin, Tyndall took it seriously, showing, I reckon, lack of reason or judgement and we all know what that means.

This farce began when Coun Dixon, while ambling through London, tweeted: “Didn’t know there was a Church of Scientology on Tottenham Court Road. Just hurried past in case the stupid rubs off.”

That’s bigotry? Well a certain John Wood, scientologist, thought so.

And claimed it was criticism of a person’s religion which, in these poisonously politically correct times, makes it almost a hate crime.

But hasn’t Coun Dixon got a point? The sci-fi writer Lafayette Ron Hubbard, who founded scientology in 1951, told friends four years earlier: “I’d like to start a religion. That’s where the money is.”

He was right about the money but doesn’t this suggest that the late L Ron wasn’t exactly inspired by Word From Above?

Anyway, our ombudsman decided that Coun Dixon had a case to answer and among his more pompous pronouncements was this: “I expect members to be respectful and show consideration to all members of the public and their views.”

And do I hear, unspoken, the thought “especially if those views are religious”?

But why? Why should we respect views that plainly show lack of reason or judgement?

If the sainted David Icke complains to our ombudsman that I don’t respect his view that the Queen and Prince Charles are shape-shifting lizards from another galaxy, will I be hauled before our local inquisition?

Meanwhile, to call Jedi a stupid “religion”, when it’s based on a series of fantasy movies, is simply a statement of fact.

While Asatru, a newish “religion” claiming that the universe is a giant ash tree with we humans living in one of the roots is undoubtedly stupid (come and get me Mr Tyndall).

And what other word than stupid described the First Presbyterian Church of Elvis and its rival, the Church of the Two Elvises?

Am I disrespectful in calling the Aetherius Society stupid because I think they ARE stupid. Its founder George King met Christ on Venus, piloting a flying saucer in the great battle against aliens intent on stealing earth’s oceans.

Not so much sci-fi as Marvel Comics.

And there are equally bizarre beliefs found in the world’s major religions as well.

Anyway, L Ron’s gospel tells us a super being called Xenu brought people to earth 75 million years ago, stacked them around volcanoes, then blew ’em up with hydrogen bombs.

Their souls stuck to the bodies of what life there was on earth, starting with clams, then working their way up to us, bringing all their memories with them.

So L Ron’s methods would help us remember every aspect of our past lives, including details of our birth in this one. And more. Much more.

Yet our ombudsman expects Coun Dixon to be “respectful and show consideration” of these views. Shouldn’t his views also be respected? Coun Dixon’s freedom of speech is more important than the sensitivities of a scientologist seeing bigotry where none exists.

It seems to me our ombudsman has shown what we might call a lack of reason and judgement.

more at http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/columnists/2010/09/08/dan-o-neill-why-respect-beliefs-most-of-us-consider-are-loony-91466-27222231/

[ethercat]

Dan O'Neill: Why respect beliefs most of us consider are loony? - WalesOnline
8 September 2010, 4:17 am

Which is why he will face the council’s Standards and Ethics Committee this month because the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales, Peter Tyndall, received a complaint from a scientologist accusing Dixon of “bigotry”.

Instead of bunging it into the bin, Tyndall took it seriously, showing, I reckon, lack of reason or judgement and we all know what that means.

This farce began when Coun Dixon, while ambling through London, tweeted: “Didn’t know there was a Church of Scientology on Tottenham Court Road. Just hurried past in case the stupid rubs off.”

That’s bigotry? Well a certain John Wood, scientologist, thought so.

And claimed it was criticism of a person’s religion which, in these poisonously politically correct times, makes it almost a hate crime.

Despite the claim that scientology is supposed to give followers the ability to control MEST (Matter, Energy, Space, and Time) and eliminate their "reactive minds" (the ficticious part of the mind which reacts to provocation), a large number of them sure are good at playing the victim of other people's words. 

@John Wood: FLUNK!  Back to the bullbaiting course for you!

[wynot]

A person could get whiplash looking at the contradictions between what Scientology says, and what Scientology says next! It's your Reactive Mind; no, it's your repressed memories; no, it's your repressed memories of past lives; no, it's your body thetans!

Let's face it - Scientology is stupid, and it obviously does rub off!!! Informed folks will happily cross the street to avoid it!

'til next time;
wynot